Conductor roll



Jun 9 7 J. R. HOLMSTRQOM CONDUCTOR ROLL Filed Dec. 11, 1964 INVENTORJames R. Holmstrom United States Patent ()fifice 3,328,539 CONDUCTORROLL James R. Holmstrom, Howland Township, Trumbull County, Ohio,assignor to Wean Industries, Inc, a corporation of Ohio Filed Dec. 11,1964, Ser. No. 417,604 8 Claims. (Cl. 191-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREA separately formed roll and structure for application to an end of aconductor roll to enable the conductor roll to be driven through theroll end structure. The roll end structure has a core of steel and asurface portion of copper for contact with brushes connected with asource of electric current, the surface portion of the roll endstructure being electrically connectable with the roll upon applicationof the roll end structure to the roll.

This invention relates to a conductor roll of the type employed incontinuous electrolytic tinning lines and similar treating lines inwhich elongated electroconductive material passing through the lineforms part of an electric circuit, the conductor roll rotating incontact with the advancing material and constituting the means ofelectrically connecting an outside source of electric current with thematerial.

In order to electrically connect the outside source of electric currentwith the conductor roll brush means are provided which are electricallyconnected with the current source and which contact the rotatingconductor roll. The portions of the conductor roll relied upon toconduct the current are ordinarily made of copper or similar material ofelectroconductive capacity at least of the order of theelectroconductive capacity of copper. The roll body where the rollcontacts the material is normally of copper as is also the portion ofthe roll contacted by the brush means. Those portions of the roll areconnected with each other by copper or similar material ofelectroconductive capacity at least of the order of theelectroconductive capacity of copper.

It is characteristic of copper and similar materials ofelectroconductive capacity at least of the order of theelectroconductive capacity of copper that they do not have suflicientstructural strength to enable the conductor roll to be driven employingsuch material to transmit the force driving the roll. Normally the rollhas a portion of relatively structurally strong material such as steelthrough which it is driven.

Heretofore conduct-or rolls have had tubular steel neck portions withcopper inside connecting the roll body with a copper roll end forcontact with brush means. Such a' roll cannot be direct driven, i.e.,driven from the end thereof by the conventional type of coupling meansemployed in rolling mill drives, since the copper does not havesufficient structural strength to transmit the driving force. It hasbeen necessary in driving such rolls to provide sheave means at thesteel portion of the roll and to drive the roll indirectly by V-belt orother driving 3,328,539 Patented June 27, 1E6? the problem has beenarrived at prior to the present invention.

I have solved the problem by eliminating entire-1y the sheave and V-beltdrive and constructing the conductor roll so that it can be directdriven, i.e., driven from the end thereof by the conventional type ofcoupling means employed in rolling mill drives. This has necessitatedcomplete redesign of the roll to afford sufiicient strength in the rollto enable it to be direct driven while at the same time providing fortransmission of the electric current from the brush means through theroll to the material being treated.

I provide a conductor roll comprising a roll body having anelectroconductive surface portion and a roll end structure connectedwith the roll body, the roll end structure comprising a core of materialof requisite strength to enable the roll to be driven through the rollend structure by driving means coupled to the outer extremity of theroll end structure, the roll end structure having coupling means at itsouter extremity and also having at its surface material ofelectroconductive capacity at least of the order of theelectroconductive capacity of copper for contact with brush meansconnected with a source of electric current, such material beingelectrically connected with the eletroconductive surface portion of theroll body. The core is preferably steel and the ma terial at the surfaceof the roll end structure is preferably copper. The core is preferablyembedded in the material for contact with. brush means.

In a preferred form of structure the core has annular end portions andlongitudinal connecting portions with spaces therebetween extendingbetween and connected with the annular end portions. Preferably the coreis of steel and is embedded in copper which fills the spaces.

Desirably the core has, as above indicated, annular end portions andlongitudinal connecting portions with spaces therebetween extendingbetween and connected with the annular end portions and the core isembedded in the material for contact with brush means which fills thespaces, with a portion of such material at the inside of the core, and aportion of the roll body extends through one of the annular end portionsof the core into contact with the portion of the material for contactwith brush means which is at the inside of the core.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent as the following description of a present preferred embodimentthereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a present preferred embodimentof the invention in which FIGURE 1 is a transverse view, partly inelevation and partly in vertical cross section and with portions cutaway, of a stand of rolls in a continuous electrolytic tinning lineshowing my improved conductor roll;

FIGURE 2 is an isometric view partly in cross section of the endstructure of my conductor roll; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line IIIIII of FIGURE 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the structure shown inFIGURE 1 may be conventional except for the form of my conductor roll.FIGURE 1 shows a stand of rolls in a continuous electrolytic tinningline, the conductor roll being the upper roll designated generally byreference numeral 2 cooperating with the lower roll 3 for advancing thematerial through the line. The rolls 2 and 3 are both driven to advancethe material and the conductor roll 2 serves to electrically connect thematerial being advanced with an outside source of electric current. Theroll 3 may be conventional and may be direct driven by an electric motor23 through a drive coupling 4 and an insulating connector 24. The drivefor the roll 2 will be described as the explanation of my inventionproceeds.

By way of example the material being treated may be deemed to be steelstrip and the roll stand may as above indicated by deemed to be in acontinuous electrolytic tinning line. The roll 2 has a body 5 having anelectroconductive surface portion which will normally be of copper orsimilar material of electroconductive capacity at least of the order ofthe electroconductive capacity of copper. The body of the conductor rollmay be structurally strengthened by the provision of steel interiorlythereof although that is not ordinarily necessarily and by way ofexample the body of the conductor roll 2 may be deemed to be entirely ofcopper, either solid or tubular. The roll body is mounted in bearings 6which may be conventional. The ends of the conductor roll may beidentical so description of one end may suffice for both, although theroll is shown as being driven through only one end. Outside the bearing6 the body of the conductor roll 2 has a cylindrical portion 7 having akey 8. A tapered portion 9 extends outwardly from the cylindricalportion 7.

The roll end structure comprises a core designated generally byreference numeral 10 of material of requisite strength to enable theroll to be driventhrough the roll end structure by driving means coupledto the outer extremity of the roll end structure. Such material may byway of example be deemed to be steel. The core 10 in theform shown (seeparticularly FIGURES 2 and 3) may comprise annular end portions 11 atthe opposite ends ofthe core and longitudinal connecting portions 12with spaces therebetween as clearly shown in FIGURE 3 extending betweenand connected with the annular end portions. The core 10 is in the formshown embedded in copper 13 which. fills the spaces in the core, part ofthe copper being disposed inside the core as shown at 14 and partoutside the core as shown at 15. The portion 9 of the roll body exetndsthrough the inner or left hand annular end portion 10 of the core,viewing FIGURES 1 and 2, into contact with the portion 14 of the copperso that a direct electrical connection is formed between the roll endstructure and the roll body. The assembly may be maintained by nut orsimilar fastening means 19 applied to a reduced extremity of the taperedportion 9 of the roll. Brushes 16 are indicated diagrammatically inFIGURE 1 which are connected with an outside source of electric currentsuch as a generator as well known to those skilled in the art, as, forexample, through bus bars 20, the brushes 16 contacting the portion ofthe roll end structure. Thus a current path is provided from the brushesthrough the copper 13 in which the steel core 10 is embedded to the rollbody 5 which engages the steel strip being tinned.

A drive coupling 17 which may be conventional is connected with thesteel core 10 of the roll end structure in any suitable manner, as, forexample, by screws 18 threaded into the outer annular end portion 11 ofthe core 10 Thus the driving force for the roll is applied through thesteel core 10 while at the same time the copper 13 in which the steelcore is embedded serves to conduct the-electric current from the brushesto the roll body. The drive coupling 17 may be driven by an electricmotor 21 through an insulating connector 22 to electrically insulate themotor shaft from the drive coupling.

The leftv hand end structure of the conductor roll 2 need not beidenticalwith the right hand end structure of that roll but may be allcopper since driving force for the roll is not applied through it.

Thus my improved conductor roll makes possible the complete eliminationof indirect driving means such as has heretofore been required andenables the direct driving of the conductor roll with the elimination ofthe long recognized disadvantages of the indirect drive.

While I have shown and described a present preferred 4- embodiment ofthe invention it is to be distinctly understood that the invention isnot limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied within thescope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A conductor roll comprising a roll body having an electroconductivesurface portion, a separately formed roll end structure applied to oneend of the roll body and means coupling the roll end structure to theroll body, the roll end structure comprising a core of material ofrequisite strength to enable the roll to be driven through the roll endstructure by driving means coupled to the outer extremity of the rollend structure, the roll end structure having coupling means at its outerextremity and also having at its surface material of electroconductivecapacity at least of the order of the electroconductive capacity ofcopper for contact with brush means connected with a source .of electriccurrent, such material being electrically connected with theelectrocondutive surface portion of the roll body.

2. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 1 in which the core is steel.

3. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 2in which the material at thesurface of the roll end structure is copper.

4. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 1 in which the core is embeddedin the material for contact with brush means.

5. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 1 in which the core has annularend portions and longitudinal connecting portions with spacestherebetween extending between and connected with the annular endportions.

6. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 5 in which the core is of steeland is embedded in copper which fills the spaces.

7. A conductor roll as claimed in claim 1 in which the core has annularend portions and longitudinal-connecting ortions with spaces therebetwenextending between and connected with the annular end portions and thecore is embedded in the material for contact with brush means whichfills the spaces, with a portion of such material at the inside of thecore, and a portion of the roll body extends through one of the annularend portions of the core into contact with .the portion of thematerialfor contact with brush means which is at the inside of the core.

8. A separately formed roll end structure for aconductor roll comprisingimeans whereby the roll end structure may be applied and coupled to anend of a conductor roll having an electroconductive surface portion, theroll end structure comprising a core of material of requisite strengthto enable the roll to be driven through the roll end structure bydriving means coupled to the outer extremity of the roll end structure,the

roll end structure having coupling means at its outer extremity and alsohaving at its surface material of electroconductive capacity at least ofthe order of the electroconductive capacity of copper for contact withbrush means connected with a source of electric current and electricallyconnectable with the electroconductive surface portion of the conductorroll upon application of the roll end structure to an end of theconductor roll.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,266,347 12/1941 Watson 19112,958,742 11/1960 Palmer ..1911

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

STANLEY T. KRAWCZEWICZ, Examiner.

1. A CONDUCTOR ROLL COMPRISING A ROLL BODY HAVING AN ELECTROCONDUCTIVE SURFACE PORTION, A SEPARATELY FORMED ROLL END STRUCTURE APPLIED TO ONE END OF THE ROLL BODY AND MEANS COUPLING THE ROLL END STRUCTURE TO THE ROLL BODY, THE ROLL END STRUCTURE COMPRISING A CORE OF MATERIAL OF REQUISITE STRENGTH TO ENABLE THE ROLL TO BE DRIVEN THROUGH THE ROLL END STRUCTURE BY DRIVING MEANS COUPLED TO THE OUTER EXTREMITY OF THE ROLL END STRUCTURE, THE ROLL END STRUCTURE HAVING COUPLING MEANS AT ITS OUTER EXTREMITY AND ALSO HAVING AT ITS SURFACE MATERIAL OF ELECTROCONDUCTIVE CAPACITY AT LEAST OF THE ORDER OF THE ELECTROCONDUCTIVE CAPACITY OF COPPER FOR CONTACT WITH BRUSH MEANS CONNECTED WITH A SOURCE OF ELECTRIC CURRENT, SUCH MATERIAL BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED WITH THE ELECTROCONDUTIVE SURFACE PORTION OF THE ROLL BODY. 